The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-11-03
State, and how do they regard it

State, and how do they regard it
now ?"
A. At first the business men
treated the matter very lightly, and
predicted it's early and utter failure,
and the press sympathizes with that
view, and assumed and declared that
we were secret political order, but
now there is not paper in the whole
State that is not our steadfast friend,
and the leading dailies are giving us
their active and earnest support. The
business men as rule are most kindly
disposed toward us and our order, and
it's success has their confidence and
encouragement Indeed we have over
100 Alliance cotton yards established
in the State, and most of these were
built for us with money and contribu-
tions of the business men in the towns
in which they are located AS an in
ducement to establish our State Head
quarters in that city, Dallas made a
contribution to us in lots, lands,
money, buildings, etc., amounting to
not less than 100000. This shows
what the business men of Texas think
of us.
Q. "Well, have you had any trouble
with political parties or politicians ?"
A. with the parties as such, no.
Chronic Office seekers, political trick
sters and disappointed sore-heads have
given us some trouble, but we are
now in position to paddle our own
canoe"
@. "You say you have cotton yards
Of your own-will you give me the
methods by which you run these
yards, and something of the benefits
you claim for them ?"
A. "a detailed statement of the
whole system would perhaps be longer
than you would like to have in your
paper at this time, and as it is the
duty of myself and all organizers to
explain fully and in detail this system
to your people, I will give yol only
an outline. Each of these cntoi kyards
is in change of bonded officer (by
the way, all our officers afe bon \ed,
salaried men. We have no meh paid
in any way by commissions.) We
have every facility that any cotton ex-
change or mercantile association has
for obtaining the exact state of the
market at any point in the world and
at any hour, and our machinery is
such that within one hour from the
time our dispatches are received at
State headquarters, every agent in the
State knows the price of cotton for
that day, and every farmer belonging
to the Alliance can know what his
cotton is worth if he will ask. So, a
farmer bringing his cotton to our
yards can take his sample and 60 on
the local market land we always en-
courage them to do SOY and know
whether or not to sell, then we can
send sample to State headquarters,
where we are thoroughly prepared to
get him the prices in the best markets.
It costs him from ten to twenty-five
cents per bale to have his cotton
weighed and for storage-no matter
how long he may want it stored. He
pays, of course, the insurance, which
is very little. We are prepared, un-
der the same system, to handle our
other products and our stock. Under
this system, also, we have arrange
ments perfected by which we can and
do make purchases for our members,
and so perfect is the system that we
expect to make net saw
ing Of over one million dollars to our
members during next year.
Q. ,"Well, you strike heavy at the
" middle man" by your plan, do you
not 2"
A. "No, we do not propose to do |
away with the middle men-they are
an important factor in our great social |
fabric and we could not well do with |
out them. We make no war on any |
one. We encourage all men engaged
in a legitimate business and want to |
see them prosper and succeed, but |
there are checks and balances which |
are essential to the well-being of soci- |
ETY., and we propose to see that middle |
men nor any other class shall absorb |
what justly belongs to us. The ALI
ance is founded on Truth and Justice,
and justice is all we ask at the hands |
Of the business world. This granted |